Friday, 4 June 2010

Mel Kiper's impact rookies

By Rob StatonMel Kiper has posted an article listing the rookies he believes have impact-potential in 2010. You'll need to be an ESPN insider to read the article in full, but there is a Seahawks representative. Kiper names four defensive 'shoe-ins' who he expects will hit the ground running in year one. Aside from Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy and Eric Berry - Earl Thomas is also listed.

"I think Thomas might even have a chance to make a bigger impact early than Eric Berry, just because his pass-coverage skills are so advanced, and his instincts so good that it's hard to imagine that he won't quickly be stepping in front of some passes at the NFL level. Thomas just makes you a better pass-coverage unit, period."- Mel Kiper, ESPN

My own personal opinion is to only ever be surprised when rookies have a huge impact. Of the top ten picks last year, only Mark Sanchez had a lasting impact. Even still, he was inconsistent and erratic during the regular season. He was helped significantly in the post season by excellent defense and a good running game, but kept things together. Michael Crabtree was excellent considering he missed time early due to an extended hold out, but was too late to help the 49ers make a realistic push for the post season.

Aaron Curry probably would've been listed in a similar 'shoe-in' list last year. Unfortunately, despite a bright start the linebacker saw a decrease in game-time and impact as the Seahawks slumped to 5-11. Both of Seattle's first round picks (and second rounder Golden Tate) will be put on the field quickly. The need for patience is vital though amongst pundits and fans alike. Potential is one thing, execution and consistency is another. A good year for Seattle's top rookie's will be a great understanding of their schemes and the knowledge of what it takes to succeed in the NFL.

If the numbers don't match the quality of experience, it won't necessarily be a negative.

25 comments:

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about either player, but I've seen Thomas listed as being both a free safety as well as a corner. Could the Seahawks look to strengthen their secondary by playing Thomas at corner and signing Atogwe as a safety, especially if Thurmond's recovery is slow?

Annonymous - the Seahawks are preaching competition. If they like something about Brandstater they could consider it. We'll see what happens.

Al the Kiwi - I think we'll use Thomas moved around a bit but essentially, he'll be playing safety. They'll ask him to cover a specific receiver through the middle. He'll be allowed to move around. However, I don't think he'll play substantial time at corner unless there's a lot of injuries. The Seahawks coaches have been pretty clear with their plans for Thomas and they want him to be a playmaker at safety. I believe Texas were going to play him at cornerback if he'd stayed for another year with the Longhorns - so it's a legitimate discussion. However, I think there's virtually no chance the Seahawks will sign Atogwe and move Thomas. I think Atogwe will re-sign with St. Louis eventually.

I don't mean to be a pessimist but I'm not buying into the Hawk's being a contender this year. A lot of people jumped on the bandwagon after the draft and said that we were going to be right in the mix of the NFC west title. I'm not so sure I can agree.

A new offense, new offensive line, Absolutely no pass rush and we don't have a true #1 receiver. Add this all together and it has caused me to worry about my 2010 Seahawks.

Don't get me wrong...I'm still excited for the season (Hence why I bought season tickets this year) but I still think we are two years away from going back to the playoffs.

My 2 reasons:

1. Our O-line still isn't very solid. I think adding a guard in next years draft will be highly looked at depending on where we are at in the draft which may indeed be in the top 10. Our running game is going to have to be GREAT this year because if its not, Matt's gonna get creamed again and if that happens it will be his last season as a Hawk. (which it may be already). The Whitehurst situation seems to me to be ALOT like the Dilfer-Hasselbeck situation we had 7 years ago.

2. We don't have any pressure on the QB. Offenses are going to have all day to pick the Hawk's apart, there gonna find little holes, catch the ball and drop.

I like the Thomas pick, but if Philly would have actually picked him b4 us, I wonder if we would have looked at Derrick Morgan, because pressure is not something we have and before the draft, I felt like it was one of our 2 biggest needs and we haven't addressed it very much. I hear people say that Curry is going to rush more but I won't believe that until I see it. I'm not quite sure that pass rush is his strength...

A very reasoned argument, annonymous. I think the NFC West is a bit of an unknown quantity - Arizona with a new QB, SF are solid if unspectacular. The Rams are moving forward but slowly.

I think keeping expectations in check is wise. I wouldn't rule out the new regime pulling things around quickly, but for the exact reasons you state I think we're seeing the early signs of a very big rebuild. There's still major holes in key areas (both lines, playmakers) there are some question marks about key veterans going forward too. On paper, the Seahawks are still a 4/5 win team who with a bit of luck can push 7-8 wins maybe. However, the beauty of this league is it's unpredictability. Miami made major changes and turned 1-15 into a division title and the playoffs. Seattle have made similar changes to the coaching staff, front office and roster. Can they get the same result? We'll see.

What is your feelings on Charlie Whitehurst? Does he look like a potential replacement for Matt...or is he just another journeyman QB who didn't pan out in the pro's?

When Matt came to Seattle, he was 25 years old and only had 39 Pass attempts prior to becoming the Seahawks starting QB. I think Dilfer started the first 3 games that year and gave way to Hasselbeck. Now Whitehurst is 27 and hasn't thrown a regular season pass...

If the Hawks start out the season 0-3 (SF, SD and at Denver) will they switch over to Whitehurst?

Like most others I know precious little about Whitehurst. He certainly has some physical tools watching him at Clemson. The Seahawks clearly felt he was a better option to bring in and compete than drafting one of the QB's on offer in the draft. I don't think the Seahawks will just turn it over to Whitehurst given a bad start. This is Hasselbeck's job essentially, he'll have to be performing pretty badly and Whitehurst will have to be turning it on during the week. There will come a point in the season if things don't go to plan where they could see what they have in Whitehurst, but I don't see it happening after three games unless there's an injury.

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